The Enchanted Garden Day Nursery

An acre of countryside, a Sensory Garden and a Vegetable Patch give The Enchanted Garden Day Nursery a clear identity: outdoor exploration is central to its day. Based at Lamb Pens Farm in Kings Clipstone, Mansfield, it combines indoor learning with opportunities to investigate the natural world. This is a setting for families who want fresh air to be part of childhood rather than an occasional addition.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 29 July 2024 and found its safeguarding arrangements effective. The practical character beneath that judgement is memorable: children built dens, cared for animals and used produce from the allotment at mealtimes. Those examples belong to July 2024, but they give a concrete picture of the experiences assessed.

Care spans under-twos, two-year-olds and children aged three to five. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, giving families a broad weekday window.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, play, conversation and practical experiences support learning alongside children's care routines. The nursery's Reggio Emilia Inspired approach adds an emphasis on curiosity, children's choices and learning through relationships and surroundings.

That approach has tangible expression indoors. Children's creative projects are displayed around the nursery, while drawing, sculpture, imaginative play and writing form part of its description of expressive learning. Time for spontaneous play allows children to pursue an interest rather than hurry through a fixed lesson. For parents, the useful distinction is the attention given to how a child explores an idea, as well as what they produce.

In July 2024, children directed their play and staff helped extend it. Older children moved tyres and pieces of wood to construct a den, combining physical effort with a practical problem to solve. Conversations about different types of trees showed another strand of the day: outdoor experiences became opportunities to develop vocabulary and explain an observation.

The same assessment identified a limitation in those conversations. In July 2024, adults sometimes asked questions that left too little scope for children's own answers, or moved on before children had enough thinking time. Outdoor resources can prompt good discussion, but the adult's timing matters too. Giving a child space to formulate an answer was an explicit improvement priority.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Sensory Garden, Nature Patch and Vegetable Patch provide different starting points for exploration, alongside bug hunts. These are concrete features of the grounds, rather than a general promise of outdoor learning. The nursery takes learning outside in wet weather as well as sunshine, so its outdoor emphasis is relevant to the ordinary week throughout the seasons.

In July 2024, children prepared vegetables for the animals and approached hens calmly to collect eggs. They also reminded one another about avoiding the route of tyre swings. These examples connect enjoyment with responsibility: children were learning how their actions affected animals, friends and the shared environment.

Relationships and Communication

The Reggio Emilia Inspired approach includes close relationships with parents and adapting the surroundings to families' needs. That makes family knowledge part of the nursery's educational approach, rather than treating home and nursery as separate worlds.

In July 2024, staff used physical comfort and reassurance with children who needed longer to settle. Daily updates and regular parent meetings were also part of communication at that time. The combination gave families both immediate information about the day and a separate opportunity for a longer discussion.

Preparation for school featured in July 2024 through support for children and their families. This gave families support in preparation for starting school.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that work with other professionals, targeted plans and additional funding supported progress for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The concrete mechanism matters here: support involved planned work for individual children and access to resources, rather than a general statement about inclusion.

In July 2024, mealtimes also provided practice in independence. Babies used spoons, younger children served their own drinks, and older children helped serve food. Children learnt about sun protection and drinking enough outdoors, linking everyday care with actions they could understand and practise themselves.

Homemade food follows a seasonal menu that rotates over four weeks, with local sourcing where possible. Dietary requirements are accommodated through information families give the nursery; allergy-affected families should discuss their child's requirements as part of the food arrangements.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Lamb Pens Farm, Kings Clipstone, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG21 9HL. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 7am until 6pm. Its contact telephone is 01623 822294, and a contact form provides another enquiry route.

The weekday opening window is useful for assessing how the nursery fits around work and family routines. It describes when the setting is open; the attendance arrangement itself belongs in the booking discussion.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered for eligible two-year-olds and for three- and four-year-olds. The funding information covers 15 hours and an extended 30-hour entitlement for eligible working families. Eligibility remains conditional, so an entitlement should not be read as a promise that every family qualifies for the extended hours.

For a family comparing care arrangements, the important practical distinction is between the child's funded entitlement and the attendance they want to book. A written quotation should set out the proposed arrangement and its charge structure together, so the family can assess the complete commitment.

• Outdoor care across the seasons. Learning takes place outside in rain as well as sunshine, with a Sensory Garden and growing areas among the resources. On a visit, discuss how outdoor time and care routines work for your child's age.
• Thinking time and teaching. July 2024 improvement priorities included allowing children longer to answer and making staff coaching more targeted. Ask how staff now develop these aspects of everyday conversation and play.
• Funded attendance and the quotation. Funding information covers both 15-hour and eligible 30-hour entitlements. Ask for one written breakdown covering your attendance pattern, how funded hours are delivered, and the treatment of meals and non-food consumables.

The Enchanted Garden Day Nursery suits families who value outdoor exploration, practical tasks and an approach that gives children choices in their learning. The countryside grounds and Reggio Emilia Inspired practice make that proposition concrete. Its weekday opening hours also offer a useful starting point for families planning care around work.

The July 2024 Good judgement sits alongside specific teaching improvements, especially the time children receive to develop their own answers. The strongest reason to consider this nursery is the substance of its day: growing, investigating, creating and learning to take responsibility.